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Ann'mui (Post Suicide War)
"Where the sunrises are green, the waters warm, and a sky full of stars, we regain what was lost. We are united, not just in the name of the Empress, but in the name of the people. We are survivors, we are warriors, we are the Ann'mui." ~Me'qerial Ta-ora The Survivors Following the Suicide War and its incredible toll on the Ann'mui, under the orders of Areti'qas, the Third Ta-ora, a small group of thirty Ann'mui abandoned the burning Volatara, settling instead on her proposed "Sister-world" of S'sata'vol. The sheer, untold amount of death and suffering bestowed onto the Ann'mui people rocked the culture to its roots, causing an unadulterated upheaval of multiple fundamental beliefs. The Ann'mui are a very culturally-driven, tall, intelligent species of humanoids, hailing originally from the far-distant dwarf planet of Volatara. Their history before the rise and fall of the First Galactus is very largely unknown, as, especially in the wake of the Suicide War, the Ann'mui are incredibly defensive of their culture and stories, keeping them exclusively to themselves when they can manage it. The earliest known confirmed record of their existence comes from the Old Republic, in the form of an ancient folk song, which was popularized massively by the First Galactus taking it and remaking it into their anthem, which inspired both terror and hope in the Galaxy for sixty-six years until their downfall in the Battle of Geonosis. One of the most well-recognized traits of the species as a whole, other than their vastly different physical variations, is the prominence of females over males. Unlike Humans or other similar races, where the male-female difference is split roughly half-and-half, the Ann'mui see a starkly greater female population. While, oddly, there is no bias towards or against either, with recognition falling relatively evenly between them based on accomplishments, this is very largely attributed to the Ann'mui culture as a whole, with its heavy emphasis on respect and dignity. Over the one-hundred years since the Suicide War, the forty-eight total survivors of the Ann'mui have only grown their numbers to one-hundred-forty, as the female prominence has proven to effectively be their death knoll. Influential Organizations C'ei Arcen Galactus Founded sixty-six years before the Battle of Geonosis, the First Galaxy (A shortened title, with the full being, "C'ei Arcen Galactus dul c'ei Ann'mui," or, in Basic, "The First Galaxy of the Ann'mui,") remains the single-most powerful Ann'mui organization in history, commanded to the finest degree by the Wyrlit Pure, Ar-i. The goal of the First Galaxy was solely pure, in the beginning- That being to save the Ann'mui from their cruel world- the vision and subsequent corruption shared between the Ann'mui within the army and Ar-i himself, and, in the end, the goal was finally accomplished, with the Ann'mui declaring peace to the Galaxy, and eventually earning themselves a representative seat in the Galactic Senate, accomplished by Ar-i's daughter, Na-zari. With a fighting force that progressively grew more and more dangerous as the war went on, and technology the likes of which history had never seen, the First Galaxy's almost-immediate conquering of ninety-eight percent of the known Galaxy was described by worlds left alive to witness it as a rolling tide, sweeping carelessly over entire star systems and dragging them out into the sea that was their conquest. In the one hundred years following the Suicide War and the collapse of any and all military organizations, whispers began arising of a "Rebirth," of sorts, of the First Galaxy. As Blaisa became more introverted- Giving less speeches and living a more reclusive life within the walls of Palace Areti'qas- The Ann'mui began to question her rule, and, eventually, their hopes were answered as Ar-i, returning in the form of his grandson, Me'qerial, stood atop the white wall of Palace Areti'qas, and announced his return. On that day, one hundred years to the day since the Suicide War, the banners of the Ann'mui were pulled from the walls, and in their place, now hangs the Banner of the Returned Emperor, which had been created in secret by a small group of historians as a tribute to days and freedoms gone by. C'ei Uxi'ava Galactus The most ancient of all the Ann'mui organizations, having been founded in the Old Republic era by Areti'qas-mahl Ta-ora, who became well-known for this and the creation of the Ta-oran Cliff City as "The Third Ta-ora." The Final Galaxy, born of the nihilistic visions granted by Areti'qas' possession by Volatara Herself, existed to defend the Motherworld and eventually abolish Humanity's prominence in the Galaxy in a counterattack, though the Suicide War and it's annihilation of the Ann'mui, with Areti'qas included among the casualties, proved this goal to be forevermore unreachable. Helix Unlimited Founded some time before the Suicide War, the super-corporation of Helix Unlimited Industries remained almost completely functionally sound after the mysterious disappearance of its creator, Kahn Helix. Run in his place by an advanced line of hyperintelligent droids, which, unlike the droid commanders of the Confederacy of Independent Systems, utilize similar components to the A-SA-76, making them just as viable to command an organization as Kahn himself, the corporation has weaseled its way into the majority of the markets, having a hand in the manufacturing of nearly anything, from starships to simple furniture. Thanks to advanced reconnaissance droids, the company legally owns a total of exactly fifty worlds, all of which have since become the locations of massive factories, following a production doctrine that is likely to cause a massive bloom in control in the coming years. Contributions Ann'mui Steel Due to the efforts of Te-ren, the extremely durable metal known as "Ann'mui Steel" was decoded, and a synthetic version of near-identical strength was released to the New Galactic Republic, which then turned into the Sith Allegiance, and spread the knowledge of the material which once made the fleets of the First Galaxy nigh-unstoppable. The metal itself requires temperatures near that of the surfaces of Blue Giant stars to smelt, and, when forged properly, can resist nearly any form of physical trauma, be it compression or shear, save for on specific points along the frame of the metal, where the ultra-dense molecular bonds connect with each other after cooling. Referred to as "Fracture points," these hair-thin regions of the metal, if struck with the appropriate force and with enough contact, will cause the entire sheet to shatter like glass, and, because of this, for many centuries, Ann'mui blacksmiths had used specific, undisclosed techniques, from thin, weld-like ridges over the points, to even jagged spikes, to make the metal far more difficult to damage. The metal itself is absurdly conductive, moreso than even Cortosis, and will almost immediately deactivate- Even cause irreparable damage, if hit hard enough- Any lightsaber variant currently known or in production, making it an invaluable asset to any individual hoping to go toe-to-toe with a lightsaber-wielding opponent. A-SA Droids The "Sentient Androids," as they are often referred to as, are a rather ancient model of android which had been used for centuries to compensate for fallen soldiers, to give family members some glimmer of reassurance after the loss of a loved one, or even just as a maid. Perfected during the time of the First Galaxy by, ironically, the Chiss High Admiral, Talen'ta'rado, the A-SA-76 is a flawless recreation of a sentient being, down to personality quirks, memory, and biology, which, quite often, were used as placeholders for elites of the F.G, so as not to risk any unnecessary lives- Including the placeholder Ar-i utilized to fool the Galaxy into believing he'd passed- Though this was a 74, not 76,- which, after absorbing a Dark Side Nexus, was the first A-SA to possess a presence in the Force. The process of creation and hardware of these androids is jealously guarded by the remaining Ann'mui, but due to the unbelievable capacity of their "Brains," it is reported that the sole surviving A-SA-76- Imi- Has had a Kyber crystal integrated into its functions to give it presence in the Force, making it the first truly living ''droid. A-SA-74 Known to be the first droid in history to ever attain a potent presence in the Force, the sole model of the A-SA-74, which was used as a substitute for Ar-i in a part of the elaborate deception which he had set up to fake is demise not once, but twice. The 74 was entirely unique to all seventy-seven known models as, while it was still designed to perfectly replicate a preexisting individual, it could be controlled remotely by said individual, and even channel their power in the Force through the nexus stored in a series of small, Volataran crystals in the chest region. A-SA-76 A-SA-76 are, by design, almost completely indistinguishable from the "Base template," and, should any attempts be made to modify it, as one would with a droid- Weapons, utility tools, etc.- The android will proceed to steadily disassemble these "Enhancements" and regurgitate them later. Kyber crystals remain the only known exception to this restriction, and have led to the single-greatest recorded breakthrough in the history of droids: The recreations are so accurate to the individual that they effectively fool the Force, and, in the proper circumstances- The only one known being the individual the presence belongs to themselves willing to be alive in a physical body again- Can lead to "Possession" of the crystals in the droid's chest by the individual. This effectively revives the dead, though, again, this only seems to occur when the individual themselves wills it. Kar'kera-zhen Droids Utilizing similar technology to the A-SA-76, the two variations Paladin Droids are near-sentient droids used in place of actual soldiers as compensation for the horrifically low population of the Ann'mui, with the prowess of the First Galaxy Paladin who remained, to the end, the only within the army hailing from the Xavafo, Ti'era (Also known as "Trigger,") adapted into their droid brains. By this alone, the droids would be more than a match for nearly any individual, or even most small groups, within the Galaxy, however, the frame itself is constructed of Ann'mui Steel, and, worse still for any potential opponents, control of the droid can be assumed by anyone permitted, meaning, if someone with more skill were to assume control, an already-difficult fight could have the bar raised astronomically. The design of both droids, while it definitely varies, is based- Rather ironically- after the Nyvlaat and their armour, as a form of symbol of respect towards the only species that, unassisted, can stand toe-to-toe with the likes of the Ann'mui themselves. On the backs of both droids is a large backpack, which serves to mimic the "Hunch" that, in the Nyvlaat, carries the powerful muscles of the secondary arms, but, to save resources and money in the construction of the droids, the backpack merely carries a variety of weapons, from warblades to extendable spears, rather than an entire other set of arms. Mark I The most-frequently used model of Paladin Droid, the Mark I is a force to be reckoned with, despite the relatively simple design. The feet are cylindrical in structure, with a circular joint serving as the ankle, and three sharp, claw-like "Toes" to each, on which the droid balances, giving it excellent traction and agility in combat, while also serving as a secondary weapon of sorts, should an opponent get close enough. The legs themselves, while mostly simple and seemingly unprotected, are digitigrade, and extremely powerful, capable of launching the droid far further than any Ann'mui could, themselves. The armour from then on is thick and spiked, utilizing both well-known techniques in the forging of Ann'mui Steel to make the fracture points less vulnerable, though, naturally, the joints remain key weak points. The head, which houses the entirety of the droid's main functions, is extremely well-armoured in and of itself, and, as it even possesses the central power unit, the droid can continue to function as intended, even after suffering grievous damage. Slightly smaller in size than the Mark II, the Mark I stands at seven feet, eight inches tall at the peak of the crest, three feet wide at the shoulders, and weighs four-hundred-fifty-eight pounds. Mark II With only five in existence, the Mark II Paladin Droid is reserved as a personal guard to the highest-ranking individuals within the Ann'mui's society, and, despite sharing the same basic structure as the Mark I, functionally and aesthetically, the Mark II is considered to be far superior. The right arm bears a long, razor-sharp blade, which extends down to the second joint of the leg, and is used both in combat and self-defense, while, on the left, an energy shield generator is hidden, which can extend when needed to form a massive, plasmic shield, the silhouette of which is identical to that of the infamous shields of the Ta-ora. The brain is many times more advanced, utilizing technologies invented by Ar-i for use in PROXY droids to near-perfectly mimic the skill and abilities of the greatest duelists of the Ann'mui, which, when combined with the menagerie of weapons stored in the backpack, makes them near-unstoppable in nearly any given circumstance. Further still, along with more sensitive tuning of all the droid's "Senses," control of the Mark II is reserved for only the absolute greatest combatants within the Ann'mui- Those being the likes of Blaisa and Xerevis, who are, respectively, the best duelists among Ann'mui Pure and Impure. The droids measure at eight feet, six inches in height, three-and-a-half feet at the shoulders, and weigh nearly seven hundred pounds when fully equipped. ''HAS Trident Mk. IV Constructed with the triply combined genius of Es-ven, and High Admirals Karav'ta'rado and Talen'ta'rado, the Trident Project wound up producing a starfighter that, to this day, remains both relevant and extremely effective. With its mixed weaponry, absurd agility, fuel longevity, armour, and engine power, the Heavy Assault Starfighter Trident IV ''can outperform, outlast, and ultimately outclass anything produced before or since- Even going so far as to be referred to as "Destroyer destroyers," due to their particularly excellent performance against otherwise extremely dangerous Star Destroyers. However, the price of such a successful ship is quite astronomically high, costing roughly eight hundred thousand credits to manufacture just one, and piloting the ship takes far more skill than most pilots can truly offer. '''Accomplishments' FGSD/F Dark Lance Arguably the single-most-dangerous ship to ever take flight, the pride of Ar-i's original First Galaxy's navy was a true sight to behold. While she did use the template of a Vengeance-''class Star Dreadnought, the ''Dark Lance ''took the Imperial design and hurled it to unmatched heights, as the vessel, top, bottom, port, and starboard, was absolutely ''bristling ''with guns of all sizes and power, which made her nigh-untouchable on her own, even without her escort of the two Praetorians' ''Mandator IV ''siege dreadnoughts, and with the accompanying ships, there was nary a force in the Galaxy that could hope to bring the ship down. The only logically exploitable weakness was the superlaser in the center- Dubbed the ''Thunder by Ar-i- Which took near of two minutes to reach firing strength, and drew directly from the weapons and on-board shield power supplies, along with her actual fuel, but even this was a ridiculous target to strike, as the amount of cannons riddling the ship could drop any squadron that dared approach, though this single weak point did wind up becoming her downfall, as Ar-i's lightning proved too much for the structure, and the following explosions within the magazine and fuel tanks caused the ship to split in half. Lightsaber Forms Over their some three thousand some-odd years of exposure to the Galaxy, the Ann'mui's penchant for seeking conflict has, inevitably, led them to become some of the most experienced, prolific lightsaber duelists and designers in history. While no two lightsabers, generally speaking, are the same, yes, the lightsabers created and wielded by the Ann'mui are often profound oddities, even among the individuality presented by the construction of a lightsaber, and, with these often-wondrous lightsabers, have come three unofficial forms- Excluding variations- Taught and practiced by almost exclusively Ann'mui, which are meant to perfectly encompass and demonstrate a specific aspect of the wielder. Purity: Form Purity is the most recognizable of the trio, as it visibly draws inspiration from forms VII, V, and, most notably, II, with an odd blend of unrelenting ferocity, aggressive defense, yet every movement made possesses near-flawless precision. Purity focuses intently on cutting down every aspect of an opponent's defensive and offensive movements, forcing them into a metaphorical box from which the practitioner can swiftly, easily execute them, which, while the majority of the movements associated with Purity are high-energy, powerful strikes, they are not crude, and when the moment calls for execution, the brutish force is replaced spontaneously by an elegant precision that makes one-on-one combat exceptionally easy. However, as it requires an intense amount of concentration into the movements of the opponent in question, Purity can become rather overwhelmed in the face of multiple opponents, though there is an exception to this, as a supposedly "Perfect" practitioner, such as Ar-i, can visualize the fight as simply combating a single, varied enemy, as opposed to a single foe at a time. Impurity: While Purity is a very high-energy form, the inspiration of forms IV, V, and III present in Impurity knock it clear out of the water, consisting of powerful, sweeping movements stitched together with jumps, rolls, and general chaos. Impurity, while lacking the elegance of Purity, has, instead, a nigh-impenetrable, stoic defense when put on the practitioner's back foot, and a bouncy, wild, almost-completely-instinctive offense, to which few direct counters can be put into play, as the higher focus on the Force to guide the practitioner's movements also allows them to much better predict their opponent, often surpassing even most Jedi in their ability to do so. This unrelenting chaos, while extremely efficient at combating and defending against multiple opponents, or even a single, unprepared opponent, due to its reliance on instinct over practiced ability, can be easily denied by the counter-form of Purity, as Impurity relies on the "Box" of movement being as large as possible. "Lodoi Ann'dreda:" Lodoi Ann'dreda, or Great Warrior, in Basic, possesses two variations, as the form itself is extremely personal, and two individuals are known to have mastered- Not simply practiced- It to any regard. Due to its unorthodox classification, and highly personalized usage, Lodoi Ann'dreda's two variations are often compiled into one category, dropping the number of forms accredited to the Ann'mui from four specific forms, to two specific forms and one blanket form. Xerevis: The First Galaxy's Praetorian of the Blade, however lanky and odd he may have been, reached his position for his unbelievable prowess with a lightsaber; Often going so far as to even trump the massively-more-powerful Ar-i himself in saber-on-saber duels flawlessly. Lodoi Ann'dreda's Xerevis variant is, in some way, a perfect recreation of his personality, consisting of a wild series of movements stitched together on the fly, forcing the opponent to react, rather than reacting to the opponent, which, while this succeeds making every movement unpredictable and wild, is still laced with an almost savant understanding of the physics and utilization of a lightsaber, making every move perfectly to overwhelm the opponent with an extremely noticeable lack of effort on his part. While directly hailing from no preexisting form, there is still evidence of forms IV and II, suggesting a Purity base that had been improved upon to the point of being near-unrecognizable. Imi/Perfect Pike: While originally cited as a naturally personalized variation of Impurity, Perfect Pike quickly became considered a caliber of its own in the years following Order Sixty-Six, as, even with both the Empire and First Galaxy closing in, the Impure, Imi, refined her ability- Already many leagues above that of her peers- Into a jackknife form that teetered on a blade's edge between intense offense and stoic defense, all based around utilizing her size and strength disadvantages as advantages, with the assistance of a lightpike. Despite how unconventional and difficult to wield such a weapon is, Imi, with her tiny size, cunning wit, and natural talent for acrobatics, became one of the most feared and respected duelists of her time, with even Ar-i accrediting her ability to even be surpassing that of Xerevis', when fully utilized, as, much like Xerevis, her style revolved around piecing together whatever her brilliant mind could come up with. Biology Through the entirety of their history, Ann'mui biology has been a mystery. From the stark physical differences within their own species, to their deceptive leanness, they have confounded science to no end, with the most the Galaxy knew of them coming from highly-educated hypotheses. Few, if any bodies were ever even heard of being discovered, and even then, decomposition had already stolen the most valuable information, until, after the combined efforts of two morally-ambiguous men of science, First Galaxy High Admiral Talen'ta'rado and Te-ren Ta-ora, the enigma of the Ann'mui began unraveling, with detail being released to the public from these individual sources by brief articles or videos. Poison "Never in my life had I experienced something so wonderful; The effects were near-immediate: REDACTED doubled over, holding her stomach and letting out a scream to the high heavens that would give me oh-such-marvelous dreams. It didn't stop for some time as she simply fell, convulsing- Frankly, this particular entry is too professional for me to truly go into detail, but I am permitted to say, when all was said and done? Nothing. There was nothing but a meat-coloured puddle, laced with little bits of that pretty, ginger hair." ~High Admiral Talen'ta'rado Much like most other life on Volatara, the Ann'mui are potently, lethally poisonous, to the point where a single ounce of blood has the strength to kill five fully-grown, physically fit Humans. So potent, in fact, is the Ann'mui poison, that during their prevalence before the Suicide War, blood donations from the Ann'mui were shipped straight to drug cartels for use in poison weapons. While not acidic in nature, when reacting to water, or the cellular material of other animals, Ann'mui blood has been known to make a slight hissing sound, which, if ingested, often makes the victim sound as if a match has been lit on them, earning both sound and poison itself the nickname, "The Hiss of Death." The Hiss of Death, when not particularly concentrated and simply coming into contact with another organism through natural means of predation or other accidental ingestion, while it does often require the presence of stomach acid around it in order to properly achieve its legendary lethality, will still kill most tissue it comes into contact with- So long as it is properly hydrated- And will seep into the bloodstream through gaps between the cells. The bacteria will overwhelm the bloodstream, replicating thrice every fifteen seconds and massive clots in the bloodstream as they make their way through it, all made worse as the bacteria relentlessly attack and kill everything they encounter- Often, even including themselves- Which, if the victim of the poisoning is given the antidote in an appropriately brief amount of time after becoming afflicted by the Hiss of Death, can lead to sepsis and even more clots as the dead bacteria decompose and clog up arteries, and may even require surgically grafting implanted tissue into regions where the native tissues have been so badly damaged, repairing itself is impossible. Once the bacteria reaches the heart, it ceases its advance, setting up a "Colony" within the left ventricle and reproducing wildly, letting a critical mass be reached where the bacteria cannot swell in concentration further, as the current of the blood carries any additions away, and will slowly cause the body to rot away and dissolve over time, resulting in a very long, agonizing death. To the Ann'mui The relationship Ann'mui have with their toxicity is strange in itself, as most other poisonous animals cannot be separated from their own poison, while Ann'mui, over the course of, on average, three weeks, can have the bacteria- To this day, still unnamed- which give them their potent poison removed entirely. Certain Axi, often hailing the Green Wall, would forego the standard rite of passage that most other clans utilize, and, instead, would opt for an unmedicated withdrawal from the poison, which, quite ironically, despite the agony the withdrawal itself caused, was considerably less fatal than the majority of other rites. Detox, "Retox," and Origination Point While the poison made nearly any physical interaction with an Ann'mui extremely dangerous for most offworld life, the Ann'mui themselves, which inherit the bacteria while in the womb, possess a lifelong immunity to it by birth, regardless of whether their own has been removed. The bacteria can, technically, reenter the Ann'mui and cause them to regain their toxicity, the only known way to consistently end well, which was cited in Te-ren's notes with the rare, opinionated comment of "Unfortunately," involves cannibalism, which is very much against the general moral code within the species. The bacteria itself, without outside interference (No cannibalism, injection, ETC.,) originates from the mother, making a half-bred Ann'mui with a detoxed mother far, far more susceptible to their own peoples' poison. This, titled by Talen'ta'rado as 'Na-zari's Syndrome,' became a common plague to the Ann'mui during the time of the First Galactus' reign, and still has minor effects on the Ann'mui of current, with the most famous examples of this unfortunate circumstance being the two children of Na-zari, Neio'mai and Me'qerial- Of whom, only the latter still lives, as Neio'mai eventually fell victim to the small drops of poison in her lover's kiss. Variation The Ann'mui appear to have two visible variations (With the third being entirely psychological, and able to manifest in either, and the fourth requiring the individual to be possessed by one of the Ann'mui deities,) based on a genetic strain completely unique to the species that activates during pregnancy by seemingly-random chance, though the most widely-accepted hypothesis claims that this deviation to either Purity or Impurity is based on environmental conditions around the mother, as well as stress and habits. Due to this and having no real genetic bias towards activation or stagnation, Pures and Impures are, by technicality, not subspecies of each other, but rather, simply variations of the same template. Pure The more uncommon of the visible variants, Pure Ann'mui strongly resemble incredibly tall, lanky Humans, with skin tones ranging from pasty white to deep brown. Other than their absurd height, which averages out around 6'5, the most striking differences are hair and eye colour, which come in nearly every colour imaginable, from the infamous purple hair of mighty Ta-oras such as Ar-i, to vibrant red in their Te-anan counterparts. Impure While shorter and relatively physically weaker than Pure Ann'mui, the Impures make up the bulk of the population, compensating for their physical inferiority with numbers and, often, skill. Despite this, however, Impures are often beset by self-hatred for their bodies, seeing the rarity of Purity to make them superior, though most Pures typically do not see themselves in any way above their counterparts, and, in fact, often find them more beautiful than themselves. Physically, they appear no different from Twi'leks, save perhaps more muted, softer colours. Wyrlit The absolute rarest variation that an Ann'mui can be born with in general, Wyrlit, or "Titan" Ann'mui have one to three very specific traits that they can use skillfully beyond the point of reason, as well as an innate ability to lead, and remarkable intellect to boot. While Ann'mui themselves are generally by no means unintelligent or poor leaders, Wyrlit Ann'mui stand on a level all their own, often described as, "Radiating power and control" by both other Ann'mui and offworlders alike; So influential and powerful, in fact, that it is said that only the Ann'mui themselves accepting their defeat and actively seeking out their demise can successfully kill them. Extremely few Wyrlit Ann'mui have been recorded throughout their history, with, at most, six total confirmed cases in a span of well over three thousand years. Wyrlit Ann'mui * Er'lon-mahl, of the Ta-ora * Ta'mei, of the Narahai''(Credit to Aedrelle)'' * Ar-i, of the Ta-ora * Ark, of the Te-ana''(Credit to Surpremevoltage)'' * Blaisa, of the Ta-ora''(Credit to Araxai)'' * C'ei Arcen Spade''(Credit to Surpremevoltage)'' Vjeith'ka Vjeith'ka, which translates almost flawlessly into "Chosen," Ann'mui are a select, gifted few, often Wyrlit beforehand, who have been possessed by the Force manifestation of an Ann'mui deity. These Ann'mui, along with a massive boost to their natural strength appropriate to that of their possessor, also undergo minor physical changes over the extended course of their possession, from eye colour to the very substance of their blood, which turns into the scalding, light-blue, bioluminescent Yekovisarvaraal, or "Godfire." Vjeith'ka are considered demigods, of which there typically are none within the culture, and easily hold equal standing with the likes of Ivo'kera-zhen, and even Ar-i'aha Ivo'kera-zhen, though the latter was truly only the case for Na-zari, of the Ta-oras, due to her rather embarrassing failure in ruling her people. Living Vjeith'ka Ann'mui * Loduklodaadthur-mahl, of the Lanara'to * Na-zari, of the Ta-ora * Ar-i/Me'qerial, of the Ta-ora Extinct While only hypothesized, there were two supposed variations of Ann'mui, early on in their history, which were presumably similar to Humanity's ancient counterpart, the Neanderthals. In the Ann'mui genome, certain, odd strands with no known point of origin are found in every individual, suggesting that perhaps modern Ann'mui are the results of cross-breeding between these two ancestral variations, though what is known from this baseless DNA implies that these ancient Ann'mui appeared vastly different. Outside of this, their existences have been hinted at in ancient writings and art, though these have less substance to them, as the separate depictions could simply just be the early Ann'mui depicting their own Gods and Goddesses. C'ei Ai'vari The Gleaming were presumably natives of the Grand Plains, though the only evidence of this is by their name, the extremely dark skin- Almost featurelessly so, far beyond those in the desert Axi- And three ancient drawings, discovered in the deepest points of the Glowing Caverns. They were powerful, skilled warriors, towering well above the average height of modern Ann'mui, with far larger, stronger-looking bodies, whose mere presence was supposedly intimidating enough to even rival those of the two Dark Side Wyrlit, Ar-i and Ta'mei. C'ei Nataiil'in The Glowing, almost certainly, came from the Green Wall, due to their sheet-white skin and bright blue bioluminescent markings that, to this day, supposedly inspire Ann'mui war paint. Far thinner than their desert counterparts, The Glowing were far more elegant in appearance, though they would still tower over modern Ann'mui, and were just as fierce and dominating in combat. Due to the Axi's uncommonly large collection of relics relating to them, the Loalo are said to be their direct descendants, which, given the prevalence of Ta-oran Wyrlit, who are in themselves Loalo by origin, is a shockingly valid theory. The Purity Gene "There. In the code. Something off, look, there! REDACTED has just the slightest difference from REDACTED, here, see?" ~Te-ren The specific gene sequence relating to the Pure-Impure difference, dubbed hastily as "The Purity Gene" by Te-ren Ta-ora, who initially discovered the existence of the gene itself through inhumane, yet scientifically invaluable experiments on his own people, while, again, seemingly random in natural activation, is technically still present in every Ann'mui, Pure or otherwise. The gene itself cannot naturally activate beyond the first two weeks of pregnancy, and, when activated, immediately begins resequencing the fetus' genome, changing the Twi'lek-like appearance of the infant to develop into their far more Human-like counterpart. Once activated, it cannot be reverted, however, it is possible to forcibly activate the Purity Gene in individuals of any age through undisclosed means, though the subsequent rewriting of the DNA causes horrendous health problems, shortly followed by death. Physique and Lifespan As they age, Ann'mui don't appear to change physically beyond early-to-late twenties, and remain in their physical prime until their bodies resume the process around one-hundred-twenty years old, after which they begin rapidly deteriorating for another forty years, appearing to be in their late seventies or eighties at around one-hundred-sixty. Beyond this point, they age at a slower, more normal rate, akin to that of their childhood, and, while most Ann'mui who die from old age are two-hundred to two-hundred-ten, smaller Ann'mui, who are far less likely to attain the health problems associated with the usual height and size of their species, can survive into their two-hundred-fifties, though such a case is rare. Due to the hostility of their original homeworld, the Ann'mui have extremely potent cellular regenerative properties, capable of prolonging their lives up to near of two centuries, so long as nothing actively cuts them down, be it illness or otherwise. However, due to their remarkable size, both in mass and height, with some, such as Areti'qas, having reached nine-and-a-half feet, the elongated lifespan usually winds up being detrimental in the long run, with physical health issues popping up almost immediately as the body begins aging physically again; Spinal warping, a slew of heart issues, even breathing problems in some as their size wars against the rules of biology themselves. Other than their height, Ann'mui are very consistently deceptively lean-appearing, with muscular structures entirely unique to them that allow their strength to be almost completely unnoticeable, as a survival mechanism designed to lead predators to underestimating how much of a threat they truly posed. The muscles, especially in the extremities such as arms and legs, are coiled extremely tightly around each other, similar to galvanized wire, which only tighten further as the muscles grow. This structural system, while excellent at hiding the individual's actual muscle mass, does come at a cost, as it can be extremely difficult for the Ann'mui to grow stronger, often requiring them to spend almost seventy percent of their lives building muscle in order to maintain peak physical performance, and, if morbidly atrophied, the coils disassemble, stiffening into a more human-like structure, which, at that point, is completely irreversible, rendering the Ann'mui "Crippled," in the words of Na-zari Ta-ora. To allow for the extreme power hidden behind their lean appearances, Ann'mui bone is absurdly dense, with rigid structures within the bone itself that coil and stiffen around each other like bricks and mortar, making them not only very difficult to fracture, but to shear. However, the incredible strength and resilience of the Ann'mui's physique comes at the cost of incredible weight, almost double the mass of the most muscular humans on average, with your everyday individual typically weighing in between six and seven hundred pounds. Some of the most well-known Ann'mui, occasionally referred to as "The Big Three," which were Na-zari, Areti'qas, and Ar-i himself, all of the Ta-ora E'olofaxi, were undoubtedly some of the largest among the species, with Areti'qas, the single largest Ann'mui in recorded history, having reached the absolute, finite point which the laws of physics prohibit any further progression- Reaching nearly a thousand pounds, at nine-and-a-half feet tall. Do to their size and strength, the Ann'mui, at least upon their original homeworld, had a fighting chance against even the likes of the Chainmouth Worms, but the monstrosities of Volatara were still more than enough to reduce the average lifespan to just over forty years- Leagues below even that of humans. Since migrating to S'sata'vol, however, their life expectancy has dramatically risen to one hundred twenty years, as this is roughly the time between "Purge Swarms" of the planet's native Kakov'yaka Au'piin'a. Bioluminescence While not immediately obvious, Ann'mui do possess bioluminescence to some extent, much like other creatures of Volatara. The origins and evolutionary purpose of it is unknown, but the most widely-accepted hypothesis is that the bacteria which makes the Ann'mui so lethally poisonous to consume, when exposed to nitrogen in planets' atmospheres, reacts in such a way that it produces light similar to the pigment of the tissue surrounding it, leading to odd variations in the colour of certain bioluminescent areas, such as the eyes. Blood Due to the poisonous chemical makeup of their blood (Assuming the generally-accepted theory is, in fact, correct,) Ann'mui blood is rather vibrantly bioluminescent, though the glow dies quickly as the blood coagulates, which, under the right circumstances, produced a look similar to that of flowing lava, with a faint red glow and blacker patches of dried blood down the center of the stream. While there are technically two different colours and substances, both bioluminescent, of Ann'mui blood, Vjeith'ka are so unbelievably rare that their light blue Yekovisarvaraal blood is considered an entirely different entity. Eyes Ann'mui irises, along with usually being a matching colour to their hair, are also very mildly bioluminescent, granting them more advanced, but still very much imperfect vision at night and in darker areas. An individual born on the Dark Half of Volatara, while the difference is almost unnoticeable, does, in fact, have slightly brighter eyes, and marginally superior night vision, though the advantage was clearly mid-evolution before the Suicide War, as it is neither beneficial, nor retains its strength into the Ann'mui's later years. Emotion "In summary, despite a natural inclination to pursue conflict, when faced with the consequences of said conflict not exactly going their way, the Aliens tend to react aggressively, followed by an intense depression- Hence, the Emperor saying, 'There is no stopping an angry Ann'mui-' Followed by an intense depression- Much like that of humans and Chiss, only tenfold in every regard." ~Entry Number Six of Talen'ta'rado's Research Notes The Ann'mui are a notoriously emotional people, with no shame in being so, and many hundreds of examples confirming that it is not, in fact, simply a stereotype. The direct reason in their evolution for this is unknown, as it frequently puts the Ann'mui into far more danger than they otherwise would, however, if the emotion in question evokes fury, this danger is often negated- Even reversed onto the antagonist- As the adrenaline-fueled power of an infuriated Ann'mui has proven time and time again to be nigh-unstoppable, and has led to some of their most profound displays of merciless power; With a prime example being the First Galaxy's razing of Coruscant after Na-zari- The daughter of Ar-i himself- Had been captured, by the use of the Dark Lance's ''infamous superlaser following her retrieval. It is strongly believed that the profound sensitivity of the Ann'mui, for this simple side-effect alone, has survived the evolutionary trials of natural selection, driving Ann'mui to strike out at potential threats and come out consistently on top. '''Government' Axi Similar to the idea of countries, Axi are independent clans of Ann'mui, united under specific mindsets or by location. Before the Suicide War, there were upwards of three hundred individual clans recognizing themselves as independent Axi, over half of which were declaring themselves as such while still under the control of a larger Axi, which almost always resulted in catastrophic civil wars after an uneasy "Peace" between the original clan and the branch-off. While some clans were strong enough to survive these civil wars, and fewer still resulted in two independently-functioning Axi, such as the Te-ana giving rise to the Ta-ora, the majority would completely eradicate each other during these conflicts, resulting in an indefinitely-shifting political landscape that would likely have led to a worldwide war, had the First Galaxy not risen up and demonstrated onto the people exactly how willing they were to silence any competition with the destruction of the Te-anan capital in the icy Grand Plains. Axi are divided into three separate categories: Fa'xaia, which are Pure-exclusive, Faxia being the opposite, and E'olofaxi, which are a hybridized mix, the mindset of which is relatively recent, only appearing with the advent of the First Great Te-anan/Ta-oran Civil War, and remaining extremely infrequent since either, as the Ann'mui much are deeply ingrained in culture and customs to accept such an open-minded approach, though, due to both the infrequency and dominating political power of both the Ta-ora and Te-ana, any attempts to rise up and wage war against the two powerhouses often ended in a laughably swift defeat. Ann'mui do not follow the same naming system as the majority of the rest of the Galaxy, with only a single name, and perhaps a title, if the individual has earned it. However, because of the usage of first, middle, and last names by the rest of the Galaxy, the Axi name is used as a substitute for a last name. This has led to the misunderstanding that it is, in fact, a family last name, when in reality, the majority of Ann'mui who fly the banner of their Axi within their names aren't even remotely ''related by blood. The "Ruling family," for lack of a better term, of which there is only ever one, will frequently have the suffix of "-mahl" attached to their name, though in more modest individuals, this is foregone so as not to seem so different from their fellow Ann'mui. Axi are prone to dividing, and have been since the beginning of the Ann'mui society, with civil wars capable of springing up within any given Axi at the slightest hint of unrest, however, despite the frequency, these conflicts are often bloody and violent, with no peace or reconciliation, as one side will typically just dominate the other and wipe it off the map before it has a chance to gain its footing. Several Axi did accomplish a peaceful division- Relatively speaking- But only two truly powerful Axi in known history are known to have underwent a civil war and reconciled, those being the Cri-o'en and Te'or-ana. In doing so, the Cri-o'en established a trend that had been hinted at within the names of Axi currently in civil war, with a name both combining that of the original and the split, and being separated by hyphen and apostrophe, while the Te'or-ana made this trend official. The plural forms of Axi are extremely confusing, as most terminology used in the process of explaining it is utterly lost in translation, but the most likely usages are: '''Axi - Plural and singular' Name - Refers to the Axi itself; Both plural and singular Name+s - Refers to the dominating family that founded the Axi Name+'s - Belonging to the Axi; Possessive Name+'vo - Female-only Axi(Specified to avoid confusion in regards to the names of combined Axi having both hyphen and apostrophe) Name+'xha - Male-only Axi(Specified to avoid confusion in regards to the names of combined Axi having both hyphen and apostrophe) Faxia and Fa'xaia History/Volataran World War The true origins of the two racially-driven Axi are unknown, with little-to-no surviving records of the true spark that lit the flame that remained burning, even to this day. However, once again, through the combined inquisitive probing of Talen'ta'rado and Te-ren, a sturdy enough hypothesis could be constructed, though even still, the story is largely unknown, with the majority being based on prehistoric art and nigh-unreadable tablets describing an event so remarkably catastrophic, it completely changed the course of the Ann'mui's future. This hypothesized event, which could only suitably be dubbed the Volataran World War, is often accredited to the extreme cultural focuses on honour and life present within all recorded Ann'mui history, in nearly every ensuing Axi since. In the infantile time of the Ann'mui's emergence as a powerful species of their own right quickly saw the rise of what was considered to be the first Axi, Lanara'to. Their seaside city of Vala'thjaan, near the Crescent Isles, rapidly grew, but, as the culture itself was still very much primitive, and moral boundaries had yet to be truly defined, one half of the city, of its own volition, established a separate government, declaring themselves the Kara-ken and immediately exiling any Impures within their proposed borders. In response, the Lanara'to exiled their Pures, though both sides came to realize in time that both actions only cost them more lives, as, in making a statement to the other by exiling one variation into the other, they strengthened their own enemies. As the feuding quickly grew less political, with assaults and riots occurring regularly in the streets of Vala'thjaan, other clans arose around the globe, spreading like a network from the original city's success, though the names of these numerous smaller cities have since been lost to time. While most of these clans were presumably neutral to the conflict within Vala'thjaan, some, likely colonies of either side, swore allegiance to either the Lanara'to or Kara-ken, the effects of which started a chain reaction through the neutral clans as the conflict escalated. With more neutral clans, previously unknown to either side, being discovered daily as colonists trekked across the globe, the manpower of the armies exploded, until word of the oncoming storm reached the most inhospitable, dangerous places on Volatara: the Grand Plains and Green Wall. From these two vastly different lands came streams of Ann'mui variations the likes of which have never been seen since, known as The Gleaming and The Glowing. The Pures and Impures of both split into their respective alliances, and from then on, the time of monumental, competitively-driven discovery came to a close as the armies, bolstered by the new powerhouses among their ranks, turned on each other, truly beginning the war itself. There is no telling how long the fighting truly lasted, but estimates put it at somewhere between two to three thousand years, with the Ann'mui, with a population once in the millions, being slaughtered in droves by their own kin until likely fewer than five hundred remained when the truce was finally drawn. In the process, two entire variations were either driven to extinction via murder or were so few in number that they bred themselves out of existence, and the divide between Pure and Impure was never repaired, or even touched on until the advent of E'olofaxi. While the original two clans did survive, in the end, only the Lanara'to survived up until the present day, with the Kar'kera-ken becoming the only truly successful female-exclusive clan in known history, dubbed the "Kar'kera-ken'vo," after a civil war which broke out following the world war. E'olofaxi History/The First Great Te-ana/Ta-ora Civil War In comparison to Faxia and Fa'xaia, E'olofaxi are extremely unconventional, not only choosing a more communist economic focus, but also allowing both Pure and Impure into their ranks. The prior decision, in particular, stirred dissent in its early history, as the fledgling Te-ana, who originally pioneered the E'olofaxi mindset, simply didn't have the industrial and trade capacity to compensate for the heavily restricted income to the government. These issues continued, in fact, until the split that re-revolutionized the already-revolutionary concept, as a rebellious group of Te-ana, under the command of three renegade brothers who had made their way into the E'olofaxi after being exiled from the Loalo, declared themselves their own Axi, under the name Ta-ora. The Ta-ora, who, initially, merely sought to improve on the concept written up by Spev'jlin, led a revolt after being repeatedly denied a voice on the Te-anan High Senate, gathering a large enough following to successfully make their escape through Volatara's Storm Wall on a small fleet of warships and smithy vessels, landing on the shores of the Loalo-occupied Hellfire Ridge, where, with their bows, swords, and freshly forged, soon-to-be-iconic shields, the revolutionaries drove the Faxia off their own land, claiming the volcano for their own. With territory, soldiers, and a strong leader in the Wyrlit Impure Er'lon, the three brothers took the title of Mahl, and immediately set to the development of their infrastructure, reestablishing the more capitalist economy of the other Axi. Enraged by the betrayal and subsequent success of the Ta-ora, the Te-ana declared their first civil war, which, unlike the second which ended in their culling at the hands of the Ta-oran First Galaxy, was a resounding victory. The Ta-ora, while still newly settled on Tirvahal Iriz and recovering from the losses they'd sustained in the war against the Loalo, suffered the loss of Er'lon, who, after being grievously injured from holding off wave upon wave of the Impures he'd once considered his own clan in a courageous stand to buy time for reinforcements, finally succumbed to his wounds. The loss of the Wyrlit struck the young Ta-ora, and, especially, Er'lon's brothers, who quickly descended into quarreling without their brother to moderate them, the intensity of which ended in yet another blow to morale as Appoz'li, the eldest of the three, exiled himself, braving the tumultuous atmosphere of Volatara and fleeing into the Galaxy. The youngest, Areti'qas, soon found himself in charge of running the Ta-ora, but, despite monumental odds stacked against him, accepted his role as the newly-instated Ivo'kera-zhen, and refused the Te-anan demands for their unconditional surrender, which earned him the attention of, and eventual possession by Volatara Herself. While the power boost he received as a result of this possession was truly monumental, it quickly made the young Ann'mui into a cocky, arrogant man, which was the first domino in the line that led to the decisive Te-anan victory. In the last three days of the war, after convincing the aging Appoz'li to return to the city as the situation grew increasingly dire, with Te-anan ships and soldiers having landed and established a forward base on the very shores the Ta-ora had landed on years before to launch their own invasion against the Loalo. Over the next two days, the Te-ana, vastly outnumbering their young counterpart, made their way into Areti'qas' prized Cliff City, where, on the final day, the brothers fought side-by-side one last time, defending the newly-constructed Palace Blaisa and all the Ta-oran refugees who sheltered there. Appoz'li, knowing their defeat to be inevitable, called the defenders from the walls and doors, dispatching his younger brother to scale the obsidian face of the volcano to plead with Volatara to assist them, and willingly stood alone, as Er'lon had, against the Te-anan invasion, holding out for nearly an hour until eventually being cut down. Volatara granted no generous mercy to the Ta-ora, opting only to allow them to continue their existence as a puppet colony of the Te-ana, which, for over three thousand years, made the Te-ana the single-most unstoppably powerful force on the planet. Areti'qas, wracked with grief at the monumental series of failures his command had become, allowed the Ta-ora to be a name remembered only in history, disregarding his title of Mahl and serving only as a joint commander under the direct control of the Te-anan government, thoroughly believing himself to be unfit for any higher position. As the two parties mingled, however, the economic state of both subtly changed over time, resulting in a concept similar to an unfinished plan of Er'lon's, which was abandoned after his death. While payment, by default, remained equal, it was based on tiers of production, which, in itself, was largely focused on individuals and what they could truly accomplish. Those who fought long and hard for their position were grouped into the Ar-i, or "Elite," which paid extremely well, while the middle-class Teri received more moderate pay. The third tier, while rather uncommonly granted as it conflicted with the general system of honour shared by the Ann'mui, technically still existed, which, after some years of development, attained the slang name of "T'iina," which stuck, due to a general lack of other titles for the caste. These terms, once adopted by the Te-ana, quickly spread across the planet, creating the social caste used to this day. Tentala'axi Considered to be something of a branch of E'olofaxi, Tentala'axi typically are left out of consideration, as, throughout all of history, there has only ever been one, and the Axi itself which subscribes to this system is unconventional in nearly every stretch of the word. Put simply, a Tentala'axi is an Axi that accepts any species that wishes to join into their ranks, not simply either or both Pure and Impure Ann'mui, and follow a unique, blanketing philosophy, established by Ammon'mar-mahl, dul c'ei Azt'velor, that being, "Ann'mui is a people, not just a species," ''which, while initially looked down upon for its supposed ridiculousness, has gained some traction with the advent of the A-SA-76 droids, and has even gone so far as to earn the respect of Ar-i himself. '''New Axi' ''' '''Te'or-ana - E'olofaxi After tens of hundreds of years in civil war, following the Suicide War, the two powerhouse E'olofaxi finally set their differences aside, reuniting under one banner and becoming one of only two global superpower Axi in all of recorded history to have accomplished this, after the Cri-o'en. The two governments merged, forming a Grand High Council of six each, the first act of which was to properly combine the fundamentally similar capital systems into one that promotes growth, while vastly narrowing the economic class divide, and still managing to hold true to the culture of the Ann'mui themselves. Because of this excellent unity between the most powerful clans within the Ann'mui, the entire E'olofaxi is not only economically self-sustaining with the extremely limited resources available to them, but dominates what remains of the trade market, holding nearly eighty percent of the entire peoples' economic worth. Outside of this, when combined with the power of the Barrier, the Te'or-ana possess an unchallenged military might across the entirety of the Monument Isles, which is claimed to be, 'Many hundreds of times the power of the armies of the World War-' though this, much like other grandiose claims by Axi, is typically dismissed as propaganda- Nonetheless, should they set their sights on a specific target, there is nary a force on S'sata'vol that could stop what has come to be known as the Scarlet Armada, in tribute to what is widely considered to be the first ever extrasolar organization of the Ann'mui. Onluukt - E'olofaxi While not a colony, or anything really of the sort, the Axi with the simple name of "Barrier" swears full allegiance to the Te'or-ana, and, in doing so, earned their name, as they stand between the New Cliff City and the thick jungles of the Hellfire Isle, along with some smaller colonies on the other islands. Because of these colonies, while the Te'or-ana most certainly dominate the economy itself, the Onluukt boast both the strongest militarized navy, and complete control over the trade routes from island to island, though the decisions relating to trade more often than not go through the Te'or-anan Grand High Council before they can be put into effect. The navy itself, fueled by the economy they share with the Te'or-ana, is powerful enough to halt even full-scale invasions by the Nyvlaat, especially when assisted by the Te'or-anan Dreadnoughts, and, because of this, the two have made the Hellfire Isle the only location on S'sata'vol to remain completely free of both the Spider Crusaders and Kakov'yaka Insects after pushing them out. Surviving Axi Loalo - Faxia True to their nature, the never-say-die ancient origin of the Ta-ora remains alive and well, residing in a designated region of the New Cliff City as a gesture of forgiveness of the long-running, bitter feud between them and the Ta-ora. Despite the generosity, however, the Loalo remain stalwart in the cultural binds left over from Volatara and insist on remaining a Faxia, though they aren't exactly hostile towards Pures, and families separated by this cultural divide are allowed as much contact with each other as they desire. Because of this, it is expected that the Loalo will inevitably give in to progress, and begin accepting Pures into their ranks. Comparatively speaking, the Loalo are exceptionally wealthy as an Axi, though they still pale in comparison to the sheer economic dominance of the Te'or-ana. Lanara'to - E'olofaxi To the surprise of many, the prehistoric Lanara'to, often known as the First Axi, managed to survive the horrors of the Suicide War, taking up residence on the Ar-i Nerei after their shuttle was damaged in the escape and crash-landed there, despite their actual, selected landing zone being the Tirvahal Nerei. The resilience of the small Axi truly shown through as, in their first two years on the island, they struggled night and day to defend their original landing site from the marauding Nyvlaat, and allowed waylaid Ann'mui of either Pure or Impure within their ranks, becoming an E'olofaxi, much like they had once been in their beginnings. Shockingly, what was once considered propaganda has since been confirmed, that being that the Ivo'kera-zhen of the Lanara'to is an utterly ancient Ai'vari Vjeith'ka- So old, in fact, that the lifetime-lengthening effects of the possession have since worn off- Who has witnessed every second of the Ann'mui's history, from the World War to present. Despite their change of heart into a more open-minded E'olofaxi, the Lanara'to are still as proud as they have ever been, and fiercely defend the Ar-i Isle, allowing no foreign colonies to be established upon it, though they are not inherently malevolent in doing so, and are allowed to continue on their merry way by the Te'or-anan Grand High Council, though in the same instance, are forbidden from colonizing anything outside of the Ar-i Isle, and have no seat on the Council of Rulers. Araxai - Fa'xaia ''' Consisting of only thirteen total, of which only two are of the ruling bloodline, the Araxai are as rare a sight as can be imagined. Their newfound home on S'sata'vol is a patch of dense jungle on the Crescent Isle, further limiting their expansion and general abundance, but, because of this, the old Fa'xaia possesses some of the greatest warriors in history, including Tal-vera, who quickly rose to replace the spot of her predecessor, Ideri, in the ranks of the First Galaxy. Much unlike other Axi, the Araxai hold a far different patron deity than the rest of the Ann'mui, who will typically serve the Motherworld- Volatara, and, in modern times, S'sata'vol- And instead opt for C'ei Aeterna Ark, deeming him fitting of their unusually warlike, proud warrior type culture- Notably so to the point of being different even to the Ann'mui as a whole. Because of this, they typically hold the belief that any and all misfortune is merely the act of the rest of the pantheon attempting to punish them for worshiping their far-more-violent comrade, which makes them extraordinarily defensive of their beliefs, while simultaneously prepared for nearly any situation due to the paranoia of believing Gods and Goddesses are actively out for their hides. Another odd "Side-effect," if you will, of their unique beliefs is that, more often than not, bodily trauma is allowed to remain present, when the option to repair or compensate for it is present, as they believe, say, losing an arm- Such as with Tal-vera- Is a test by the pantheon to see if they are worth allowing to continue living, and will fight harder than near any other Ann'mui because of it. The strangest consequence of all, however, is that the Araxai possess a strong fear of death- Much like offworlders- As the act of dying is considered to be failure in the eyes of C'ei Aeterna Ark. '''Azt'velor - Tentala'axi The Azt'velor, from their beginnings some tens of years prior- Near the end of the First Galaxy's original reign- By the twin brothers Ammon'mar and Evod'lar, have always been one of, if not, the most unconventional, unique Axi of all the Ann'mui. They are, fundamentally, far more Human in beliefs, with a more atheistic view on the Force- Whether they can wield it or not- And a far more technological and science-focused culture, rather than the usual strict demands of warriors' honour present within the other Axi; Though, to some degree, it is still present. Social Hierarchy While most Axi did not get along too well, the entirety of them, regardless of variation, followed- And still follow- a very structured pyramid of influence, though it has most certainly evolved, considering the effects of the Suicide War. The system itself is arranged into tiers, with tier four being the highest, and one being the lowest, which was instituted during Na-zari's reign as Empress to fit the structure of the First Galaxy's chain of command. Tier IV Ar-i'aha Ivo'kera-zhen('Vo) While the highest possible rank among the Ann'mui certainly saw a spike in popularity following the power vacuum created by Ar-i's demise, the prospect of one actually achieving this rank, with how low the population of the Ann'mui is now, and each survivor being well outside the league of the previously-established standards, is nigh-impossible. As it stands, there is but one Empress- Blaisa, of the Te'or-ana- With no Emperor to speak of, unlike the handful of Emperors and Empresses of times past, who has near-absolute control over the entirety of the Ann'mui population, however sparse it may be. Te'or-anan Qot'joda Cenliir Yedlevoi The Te'or-anan Grand High Council represents the full, authoritative power of the Te'or-ana, possessing almost irrefutable control over the entirety of the Ann'mui, regardless of Axi, or even affiliation. Should the Grand High Council deem it, any Axi called to arms is to respond or face the wrath of the single-most-powerful Axi in history, without hesitation. Yet, while this may sound somewhat oppressive, it is likely one of the few things keeping the Ann'mui's foothold what it is on S'sata'vol, and they rarely use their power in an abusive way, following the peaceful doctrine declared by Blaisa. C'ei Yedlevoi dul Ivo'kera-zhen The Council of Rulers is a mixed group of Ivo'kera-zhen and Eri'den- Twenty four of each, two to a pair- Who represent in these pairs a single Axi. Ruling directly under the Te'or-anan Grand High Council, the Council of Rulers decides how choices made by the more powerful council will affect their Axi, and, if they so chose, possess legal right to defy any order given, though this is usually with extremely good reason, as the combined power of the Barrier and the Te'or-ana are most certainly not to be trifled with. Ivo'kera-zhen Second only to the Emperor or Empress (Individually,) the ruling heads of Axi once possessed effectively-unchallenged dominance over the Axi they serve, however, now, along with control over separate elements of the Axi within the New Cliff City, they also serve as the Council of Rulers, who help decide the fate and future of the Ann'mui, of which there are twenty four- Half being a part of the Te'or-anan Grand High Council, and the other twelve, controlling the miscellaneous Axi scattered about the Monument Isles, or, once again, within the New Cliff City itself. Tier III Eri'den('Vo) The Eri'den, to correct the previous error in translation, are not so much salesmen or women, but rather, more akin to the chief executive officers of companies, or bankers. They are primarily responsible for maintaining the economic balance of their Axi, however, those on the Council of Rulers have definitive influence over those who are not, though they don't have complete control over them. Due to the sudden changes in the political landscape having an impact on the long-untouched caste system, Eri'den, for their contributions to the Axi itself, have been raised in status to be above both Paladins and Battlemasters. Saaman'wjeira Despite being a relatively new rank, Ann'mui Battlemasters possess almost complete control over the warrior-related castes, and are universally known to be nigh-unstoppable in combat. First coined during the time of the First Galaxy, the title fell onto Xerevis, of the Te-ana, who had been granted the rank of Praetorian of the Blade prior to this, and, seeing as even this did not accurately describe what the man was capable of, thus came the subtitle of "Battlemaster." These individuals are extremely few in number, and have remained as such since their conception, as the "Skill ceiling" of the Ann'mui is widely considered to be untouchable, and the general requirement of a Battlemaster is for them to have reached the point where they physically cannot improve beyond their current position, and stand well above nearly any other individual in both the Ann'mui, and, often, the Galaxy itself. Due to their obscene rarity, an honourable duel between two Battlemasters is not only considered rare, but a true spectacle to behold. (Ar-i'aha)Kar'kera-zhen A single, small step back from Battlemasters, Paladins remain some of the most dangerous warriors in any given Axi, as, while they have not necessarily reached the "Skill ceiling" of the Ann'mui physique, they certainly come extremely close to it, and, in the case of the Elite Paladins, some do typically come close enough to "Bump their heads," so to speak. Paladins are often powerful, female Ann'mui, who bear far more tribal-looking clothing than usual, and have on their right arm a plasma-shield projector- Disguised as a gauntlet- which bears five long feathers, all hanging downward with the shield presented, which represent with their colours the five Gods and Goddesses of the pantheon. They are often tasked with protecting the Ivo'kera-zhen, however, under the command of the Galactic Ann'mui armies, this role becomes extremely rare, as only two are typically selected at any one point to defend the Emperor or Empress- Resulting in misconceptions such as Ideri, of the Araxai, and Ti'era, of the Xavafo, who both served within the First Galaxy, both held the rank of Paladin, and yet Ideri had been selected to serve as a Praetorian, while Ti'era remained a general, albeit of incredibly high rank, which led most to assume that Ti'era was the less skillful of the two, when, in reality, had she served the First Galaxy long enough for the rank of Battlemaster to be created, she would have undoubtedly qualified- And is, in fact, widely considered to be one of two "Unofficial" Battlemasters, with the other being Na-zari, of the Ta-ora. Tier II Karanami Namo'ar The Karanami Namo'ar are essentially the "Berserkers" of an Axi's military. While not so skilled as to be considered Battlemaster, or even Paladin, they do still have an incredible prowess in combat to the point of being the opponent one faces when they either have nothing to lose, or have reached the point of Paladins. Among the ranks of these warriors, while extremely rarely recognized as such, is Ar-i, of the Ta-ora, the First Great Emperor- The potency of his power was very much due to his lightning, as in melee combat, while certainly no pushover, he could still be reasonably outmatched. (Ar-i'aha)Namo'ar One of the most "Average Joe" ranks of the Ann'mui, the Namo'ar are little more than grunts and footsoldiers to round out an army. Not particularly remarkable in regards to skill, nor particularly bad, they simply exist to provide numbers and distractions for the enemy's own Namo'ar while the higher-ranking warriors do the real damage. Despite this, however, there is no disrespect in being considered Namo'ar, and the caste itself is perhaps the most communally friendly among the Ann'mui, as the sheer numbers making up the entire caste make it far more likely to encounter someone kind, humorous, or both. Zimwii Zimwii are the Ann'mui who appreciate the finer things over the usual values, often designing clothes, or painting masterpieces, in a culture where near-everyone else is training to improve their performance in combat. Regardless of the cultural demands, most other Ann'mui respect and appreciate the Zimwii, as they add a softer undertone to the often-difficult, taxing life of the Ann'mui as a whole. Tier I Teri Teri- Peasants- are neither frowned upon, nor approved of, but simply seem to exist in a limbo of opinion. Some dislike the peaceful life they lead, others desire it, but in the end, the societies likely could not operate without them, as they make up nearly any manner of occupations outside of the military- From blacksmiths, to architects, to farmers. Any unaccomplished Ann'mui, in or out of the military, is considered Teri, and because of this, most outside the caste will often attempt to help a Teri lift themselves from where they are, so they might one day have their name recognized. T'iina The servant class of the Ann'mui is the only caste with any form of negative stigma surrounding it. While the use of T'iina as slaves has since died off, the rank still applies to maids, butlers, and others of the sort, who are paid extremely little, and often survive solely because their employers grant them shelter. It is often frowned upon to outwardly show one's distaste for T'iina, however, more headstrong, arrogant Ann'mui will often forego the stigma and openly mock them, making the psychological toll of being T'iina extremely heavy, to the point of being considered dangerous to the individual. Economy Despite having developed for so long in the edges of the Galaxy, so undisturbed, the Ann'mui have used very similar economic systems to those of offworlders, including the different theories, such as communism or capitalism, with most, if not all of the correlating political conflicts between them. Primarily, Ann'mui utilize something more similar to capitalism, with a currency of their own in the form of small, octagonal, Ann'mui Steel coins, known as "I'cci-bao," but there are still the massively successful, semi-communist E'olofaxi which, while certainly more vulnerable to sabotage, were the only Axi to ever take to the stars en masse before the Suicide War. I'cci-bao Other than Galactic Credits, I'cci-bao is the only accepted currency to the Ann'mui, with the latter still extremely irrelevant to this day, perhaps even moreso than the days of the First Galaxy, with the Ann'mui's newly-rediscovered isolation from the Galaxy at large. Taking the form of octagonal tokens, in five sizes, every coin has an identical design on both sides, resembling the Ann'mui symbol that correlates to Basic's "I," though a tad more intricate, with smaller designs surrounding the centerpiece. Ark I'cci-bao The most common of the five, one Ark coin, relative to the overall economy of the Ann'mui, almost perfectly equates to one Galactic Credit (1.00 GC = 1.52 USD,) though the relevancy of their similarity in worth has since faded, as the Galaxy, following the Suicide War, no longer recognizes I'cci-bao, however rare it may have been, even in the time of the First Galaxy. Ark I'cci-bao, at one-fourth of an inch, are essentially the "One-dollar bill" of the Ann'mui; Common, not entirely worthless, but not too useful in the same instance- The backbone, if you will, of the average wallet. Jei I'cci-bao A step up from Ark, the inch-wide Jei I'cci-bao are worth, as the name suggests, five times that of the previous iteration. On average, these coins tend to be slightly heavier, but only fractionally so, to prevent thieves from measuring the worth of someone's wallet just by feeling it in their hand, but tend to be visibly more ornate, and marginally thicker. Jei I'cci-bao could be considered, if Ark are the "One-dollar bill," to be very much the five-dollar counterpart. Ark-Jei I'cci-bao Worth thrice that of Jei I'cci-bao, at an inch and a half, Ark-Jei are the first of the truly noticeably different coins, being considerably heavier and more extravagant in design, though they, just like the other four, are made entirely from Ann'mui Steel, synthetic or otherwise. Jei-Xeio I'cci-bao Worth fifty Ark, the one-and-three-quarter inch Jei-Xeio coins are significantly rarer, usually only being found in any notable amount in the wallets of more upper-class members of society. While the main mass of the coin consists of Ann'mui Steel, the edges do have a thin, circular outline of gold foil. Ark-Xeio-Xeio I'cci-bao The largest and most expensive of the I'cci-bao, Ark-Xeio-Xeio are worth twice one Jei-Xeio, two inches across, and can typically only be encountered in the allowance of entire Axi. Bank vaults and general coffers of an industry can come into possession of these coins, thought that's typically only through assuming a monumental amount of wealth that the Ann'mui economy itself doesn't necessarily support. E'olofaxinism Originally made by the Te-ana, and perfected later by the Ta-ora, E'olofaxinism, in essence, is a mixture of a capitalist and socialist economy. Incomes divided among individuals are the same- So long as the individual meets their production quota- Though the overall income is different from caste to caste. Those who exceed their production quota regularly are typically placed into either a higher caste, or paid more while remaining within their original caste, but never so much that they truly stand far above their comrades in the caste itself. Because of the extremely self-contained economy, however, E'olofaxi rely extremely heavily on trade, which, while not much of a problem for successful E'olofaxi, does still leave them extremely vulnerable to sabotage. Language Known very simply as just, "Ann'mui," in both written and spoken forms, the Ann'mui language remained unusually stalwart in its guise of mystery, with its functions, despite being remarkably similar to both English and German, not being decoded until shortly before Talen'ta'rado's final disappearance in 54 ASW. However, after the initial twenty-six letters were figured out, the alphabet quickly grew to thirty-five within a month, and continues growing to this day as ancient First Galaxy voice and written mission logs are dug up from the Wastes of Geonosis. Spoken The spoken language of Ann'mui can best be described as "Claustrophobic," for lack of a better term- Much like the written language, in fact. It is comprised of heavily compacted words, mashed into a mess of sharp, prominent syllables, the count of which in a single word can be quite astounding ("Potato," for instance, is one word, yet twenty-one syllables in all, with four apostrophe junctions along the way.) As a side note, if one has spoken Ann'mui all their lives, their accent when speaking Basic sounds like an odd mix of German and Russian accents, leading to the honest, best way to accurately describe Ann'mui, when spoken properly- Accent included- Would be, "Fluent train-wreck," as the syllables tumble head-over-tail over each other, gaining momentum that can very easily lead to mistakes in pronunciation, and even completely neglecting to include a word. Written Written Ann'mui very accurately represents the usual image the Galaxy holds of the Ann'mui, with more complex, sharper, and angular letters, as opposed to other subtly curving, winding languages, which appears noticeably tribal in when executed properly. Very clearly, the language was once written solely on wood or stone tablets, where angular lettering would be far simpler to accomplish than the curving elegance created by pens and pencils. Culture Clothing While both male and female Ann'mui will typically wear the same clothing- More often than not, this garb will include an ankle-length, long coat, almost like a trench coat in design- Though, as with any people, certain trends do appear among the usual unity. The colours are most often muted and natural- Browns, greens, and such- With the most extreme deviations from this often being simple, uniform shades of complete, abyssal black, or laboratory white. Male Male Ann'mui clothing is typically one of two extremes- Sparse, or heavy. The first of the two is often the casual wear, typically consisting of an ankle-length long coat- The likes of which is perhaps the most common item of clothing to be found- With no shirt beneath, and a pair of excessively baggy pants, often suspended by a belt-sheath, which holds their weapon on the right or left hip. Heavier clothing, on the other hand, typically is only found on those who frequently involve themselves in combat, and is often constructed of a thin layer of armour, arranged in interlocking plates within the fabric of the long coat itself, providing supporting armour to the chainmail worn beneath the coat. The baggy pants are replaced with form-fitting armoured leggings, which, while not the most durable all-around, are more than enough to do their job in defending against the average Ann'mui. Female Female Ann'mui clothing, much unlike the prominence of the two extremes of the male counterpart, varies wildly, from absurdly revealing, custom-made skin-tight suits that nearly perfectly replicate the skin tone of the wearer, to strong, almost tank-like armour that completely conceals the identity of the individual. However, it could certainly be noted that female clothing is often brighter in colour- Far more distinguishable than the muted sandy shades of the typical male outfit- And will frequently have an assortment of intricate, completely unique swirling patterns, meant to represent the Glowroot of their homeworld, and, in some cases, war paint as homage to their Axi, if it had fallen in the Suicide War. Music []All songs linked in this segment do not belong to myself or my colleagues in the roleplay community. They are used both because they fit the situations they stem from, or because we enjoy them, and we take absolutely no credit for these works of art.[] Due to the wild nature of the prominence of compound and syllable-heavy words, music in Ann'mui is often without spoken words, utilizing more powerful drums and brass instruments to convey a message- Though, in some exceptions, a background chorus can be heard. However, as the culture of the Ann'mui is typically very literal, and often quite warlike, composers- Especially gifted ones- Are extremely few and far-between, with the most notable, Appoz'li-mahl, of the Ta-ora, having lived some three-thousand years ago, though the songs he did create are considered "Timeless;" Perhaps the most notable being the folk song which Ar-i, his much-more-modern nephew, re-orchestrated, with far more power and bravado, into the Anthem of the First Galaxy. Despite the almost taboo-like recognition of composing music, as the Ann'mui themselves have become leagues more reclusive, the finer elements of the culture have begun to flourish, music included, which has led to a multitude of up-and-coming artists to make a name for themselves, as Appoz'li-mahl, often considered to be the first true musician of the Ann'mui, had once done, centuries prior. Genres Ann'mui music is somewhat limited in genre- Again, mostly due to the lack of success in the career of composition- But there are at least three distinct styles in which music is played, all three of which go by simple titles: War, Folk, and Power. At times, two genres are combined, though successfully achieving this is rare, and the only true accomplishments of this form come from Ar-i, in only two songs that quickly became representative of his rule: Locked Heart ''and the First Galaxy's anthem, both of which originated as old folk songs, turned far more powerful. '''War' Music categorized under War is composed with a heavy emphasis on intense, rhythmic drumbeats, with a supporting symphony of brass horns, woodwinds, and other small touches that truly excites the mind and gets adrenaline pumping. War is by far the most common genre, as Axi would celebrate victories with songs of the sort, and such tradition has carried over, even after most Axi were wiped out in the Suicide War. Folk While nearly as common as War, Folk is cheerier, and far more lighthearted, often used in casual settings such as bars. Folk songs are very culturally-driven, with different Axi having entirely different, unique takes on the style- Typically with completely different instruments, to top it all off- And, in the mixing and mingling of the cultures of different Axi in the walls of the New Cliff City, certain songs are very quickly rising to popularity. Power The rarest of the trio, Power is typically reserved for anthems, such as that of the First Galaxy, and contains a sprinkling of traits from both Folk and War, emphasizing the more communal focus of the genre. Staying true to its name, Power is composed of a menagerie of different elements, all thrown together underneath dominating drumbeats, clanking metal and bells, and, perhaps most importantly, the Golbolyt Horns, which emanate a deep, powerful braying that can rattle windows. Values The Ann'mui, while usually a reasonable people- With the exception of some individuals- Do still hold immaterial values close, some of which, if violated, can directly hinder the overall experience of life for the individual. However, these retain grounding conceptually, with any discrimination or focus typically being on the individual and their deeds, rather than, say, their appearance, or other negative aspect which they can't control- Though it is worth noting that Axi remain the sole, odd exception, despite the trend fading in light of the success of E'olofaxi. Life Despite having a penchant for war- If not among themselves, then with the Galaxy at large- The Ann'mui have certain values reminiscent of a far more peaceful people, seeing life, above all, as a gift, and precious beyond compare, to the point where, unless absolutely necessary, Ann'mui will spare an opponent, either to give them either a second lease at turning their life around, or to let them grow stronger, and perhaps one day avenge themselves. The surrounding wildlife, regardless of planet, falls under the same respect- If not moreso in regards to predators, as their typical lack of sentience, yet power all the same, deems them worthy of it, to the Ann'mui. Honour Above nearly anything else, the Ann'mui value honour, which, indirectly, is part of what makes them so difficult to fight hand-to-hand in the first place, as not only do they possess incredible strength, but they will also fight tooth and nail- As if they have nothing to lose- Should they feel their reputation for honour and dignity be risked. Alternatively, however, an Ann'mui who cares not for honour- However rare this occurrence may be- Is considered even more dangerous, as they may use both their brute strength and a cunning with to come out on top by any means necessary. To violate this stiff code of honour-bound combat is perhaps one of the most unacceptable things to do, and will almost always be met with opposition from all sides, though, if others were to consider the action warranted and/or honourable, so deeply ingrained is honour in the culture, that this often led to the civil wars among Axi. Respect Typing in with honour, respect is one of the strongest values among the Ann'mui. To disgrace an opponent, or actively seek to embarrass and/or slander a rival falsely, is typically met with opposition from both one's own comrades and the target's comrades, as, with no true reason to lose any semblance of the respect one holds for the individual, regardless of personal opinion or feeling, they disgrace themselves in the process for trying to take a coward's stance in the distance and letting words do your fighting for you. In the same instance, though, if one's opponent or rival warrants slander and disrespect, be it by action or words, it is widely approved of, as the individual has lost their "Right" to the respect of both comrade and foe in their deeds. Despite this, there is still leniency to unwarranted disrespect, due to the Ann'mui having an inherently extremely compassionate, understanding view of any and all opinions they encounter, which makes the act of respecting and complimenting an opponent or rival, rather than only seeing one's grudge, an incredibly respectful thing to do in regards to both the opponent and one's self. Colour Somewhat juxtaposed to their literal mindset, Ann'mui tend to attribute specific colours to an attribute of personality or nature in general, and, while these colours do not necessarily dictate anything, they do still possess some element of stereotype nonetheless. Black Black boasts one of the most widely-accepted stereotypes of them all, that being, a healthy confidence in one's self, though this can be misinterpreted as ''over''confidence, when matched with the proper personality. Kar'kera-zhen most often bear it because of this, though, as it presents to those facing them that they most certainly know what they're doing. Grey/Silver Much like black, grey or silver indicates confidence, though in a much more respectable- By Ann'mui standards, of course- Source, that being, one's Axi and family. Due to its broader focus on a more communal, rather than individual, source, Ivo'kera-zhen crowns and cloaks often bear a silver trim or bejeweling, to better represent their role in the Axi. White White possesses an intense stigma surrounding it, as bearing it- Especially on a lightsaber- Implies the wearer or wielder sees themselves far above their peers in regards to skill. Because of this, white is extremely rare to see, and really only in the possession of individuals who have been gifted these items by the communities they serve, such as the traditional capes of the Ar-i'aha Ivo'kera-zhen, or the lightsaber blades of offworld Saaman'wjeira. Navy/Dark Blue Mostly applying to deeper shades of blue, though most notably towards navy, is a deep-rooted sadness or regret, leading to the rare, odd agreement of a basic metaphor and Ann'mui metaphor, that being, "Feeling blue." Light Blue Much unlike darker shades, lighter blues- Sky or baby blue in specific- Represent love almost exclusively. As with every stereotype, there are, of course, firm believers in it implying other things, but light blue remains second only to royal purple in consistency among beliefs of what it represents. Green Similar to darker reds in its moral standing, green represents a determination to defend those who cannot defend themselves, or to contribute to the defenses of something others value- In essence, putting one's life on the line for the selfless good of others. Turquoise Turquoise, being a mixture of blue and green, represents much the same- Someone who has within them a deep compassion, but is entirely willing to take up arms and fight to the bitter end for those they care about. Orange Tied to C'ei Ai'vari Na-zari, orange, as a result, represents hope, though different shades label a more specific hope- Some examples being: lighter is often a hope for the future, paler is a hope for the betterment of one's life, darker is a hope for the betterment of the lives of others, and duller is a hope for companionship. Yellow/Gold Often on the clothes of diplomats, yellow and gold are attributed to a more dignified, intelligent personality, though this has gained it some stigma outside the active ranks of diplomats, as it implies an individual to be more socially proper, and intellectually gifted than their peers. Maroon/Dark Red Much deeper, moodier shades of red imply a determination to do moral good, often present on vigilante groups within Axi to maintain order and rout spies from their ranks, though those days have long since passed, and it can now almost exclusively be found on the highlights and trim of the Onluukt clothes and buildings. Vibrant/Pale Red Lighter reds, unlike the deeper end of the spectrum, represent the opposite: A natural malevolence or cruelty towards life as a whole. Prestigious, accomplished interrogators for the First and Second Galaxy both often bore two bright red stripes along the top of their left shoulder, starting just at the collarbone and ending below the shoulder blade on their backs, to boast their ability to break the minds of their targets. Metaphors Despite being extremely literal and concrete in the fundamentals of their language, metaphors have still developed over the millennium, and have become truly common phrases, much like those belonging to humans. * ''"I'ig d'ei c'ei guuohrn | Gas in the wind" - ''Used in context similar to what would be expected in the trenches of World War One, where gas in the wind would spell death for any in its way, cold to allegiance. * ''"Ghoulje benaat feiwinje ouro porjeio | Stark like obsidian on snow" - ''Stark contrast, often referring to demeanor; such as a cheery exterior, but no emotion beneath.